It’s been a tough few days. We’re right at the start of Spring migration, people are finding warblers, and I’m getting nowhere. Spring birding is about warblers, and they don’t seem to like me.

I’ve been out every day it’s not raining, and I know where to go, but nothing’s working.

I did Terrapin and CBEC this morning, and I’ve been to Artemesia, Wooton, Sands Road, Quiet Waters and Truxtun Park without seeing a single warbler or interesting migrant. Grrr.

This red Winged Blackbird serenaded me at Terrapin.

I was lucky to get even this poor photo of a Barn Swallow at Artemesia.

White Throated Sparrows are among the last to leave.

There were only three birds fishing at Terrapin, including these Egrets.

I found this Wood Duck at Artemesia.

These Canada Goslings are only a few days old.

It was sunny and calm, as predicted, but it wasn’t a prolific kind of day. I remember thinking a few years ago that migration seemed to be moving slowly.

Eagles were everywhere, but wading birds and warblers were seriously sparse.

The White Crowned Sparrows were a welcome sight,  perhaps a harbinger of better things to come.

I found this White Eyed Vireo yesterday at Terrapin.

Several Ospreys nest at Blackwater.

This Eagle pair seemed to be enjoy an aerial duel.

A single Eastern Kingbird greeted me this morning.

Red Winged Blackbirds were in full song.

This Green Heron was at Terrapin yesterday.

A small flock of White Crowned Sparrows was passing through.

The weather man was making dire predictions, but I headed for Artemesia anyway, and found decent weather rather than the predicted rain. I read years ago that you could flip a coin and get it right as often as the weather folks.

Wood Ducks made a good showing, as well as geese, but no interesting migrants came along.

I also stopped at Buddy Attick on the way back, but found nothing of note in an hour. That’s unusual for that location.

Several Wood Ducks were foraging near shore.

Barn Swallows have begun nest building.

This Song Sparrow was singing out loudly.

Cardinals could be heard all around the lake.

The full moon added color to the water, making these Mallards look good.

This Canada Goose also benefited from the reflected colors.

This Deer greeted me early on.

I was hoping to get a good look at the Beaver’s tail.

At least 5 Beavers seemed to be having a family outing.

This appears to be a family outing of Beavers.

I often photograph this Willow tree.

I got a late start this morning, and arrived at Terrapin about dawn. I found a White Eyed Vireo right away, but it was slow until I got to the marsh.

The Little Blue Heron was a very nice surprise, as I’ve only seen one other at Terrapin, and that one was a juvenile. There were a few other birds, but the light was poor and they were far away.

CBEC was slow as well I spent some time with the Tree Swallows, but the Wild Turkeys were the star. I don’t see them often, and they’re always fun.

Another good day after a short string of near dismal outings.

A single Snowy Egret flew over the park.

I’m not sure what Tern this is.

I don’t recall photographing a White Eyed Vireo at Terrapin before.

The Osprey are still building their nest.

This Brown Thrasher was close, but badly backlit.

This Canada Goose was relaxing at CBEC.

5 Wild Turkeys were sauntering down the entrance road.

Two Bald Eagles flew over the marsh.

When I first saw this Little Blue Heron, I thought it was a Green Heron.

I was hoping that things would pick up at Bombay Hook by now, but I didn’t get lucky. Each pool was sparsely populated, and there wasn’t much exciting or new to see.

I made several round trips of the marsh drive, and birds were moving in and out, but I didn’t see any migrating birds to speak of.

Not a wasted morning, but disappointing for this time of year.

This may be the last Blue Winged Teal of the season.

Great Egrets will be here until Fall.

A few Greater Yellowlegs have arrived for the season.

I saw several juvenile Bald Eagles.

This is a Black Duck-Mallard hybrid.

I found only one Killdeer.

I found this Green Heron yesterday at Truxtun Park.

This Osprey was building his nest at CBEC.

Green Winged Teal were in every pool.

The sunrise didn’t look promising, so I stayed home until 6:30 and set out for Terrapin Nature Park. Terrapin is “iffy” in early Spring. You can do well, or just plain strike out. I didn’t find anything exciting, and moved quickly on to CBEC,

There’s still late ducks on the lake, along with a few geese. Eagles and Ospreys were active. We’ll have more migrants soon.

I’m getting better with Tree Swallows, but it’s not easy. A huge time sink if you get obsessed.

This Osprey’s nest is adjacent to the blind.

This Field Sparrow was a nice find. It’s not always easy to spot these little guys.

The Yellow Rump is one of our most common Warblers. This one is dressed for courting.

The Bald Eagle has strayed too close to the Crow’s nesting area.

I saw three Bald Eagles this morning. This one is a juvenile.

With good weather forecast, I travelled to Delaware and the Bombay Hook NWR.  It’s not much further than Blackwater, and they get shorebirds that never appear at Blackwater.

It was crowded early, with many different species, and some were in large numbers. There were some nice flyover birds as well.

I got a few decent images, and was a little surprised that most of the birds disappeared a couple of hours after I arrived.

Tree Swallows were numerous.

There will be more Snowy Egrets later in the season.

Good light makes the male Northern Shoveler really stand out.

This Northern Shoveler hen is foraging in the marsh.

Greater Yellowlegs will also be more numerous in a few weeks.

Many Great Blue Herons were fishing.

A single Great Egret was present.

The American Avocet is a striking bird when in breeding plumage.

I don’t see Blue Winged Teal very often.

This Black Duck was just chillin’.

I saw only one Black Necked Stilt, and was lucky to get this shot.

Bombay Hook is the only place I’ve seen Short Billed Dowitcher.

I started at Sandy Point, where the sunrise didn’t materialize at all. Too many clouds and fog. The fog stayed around much of the morning.

I went to Terrapin next. I was hoping for some early warblers (Like every year) but it was not to be. The Egrets were a treat, and first of the year.

On to CBEC. I spent some time with the Tree Swallows before circling the lake. There were plenty of ducks, but they stayed well out in the middle.  The Ospreys were kind enough to pose a few times.

A decent morning.

These Red Breasted Mergansers were a surprise.

These Tree Swallows may be squabbling over a nest box.

These Ospreys are still building their nest.

These Lesser Scaup are lingering a while.

I found Wood Ducks at Both CBEC and Terrapin.

Snowy Egrets!

I went to bed last night sure that I was going to Schoolhouse Pond this morning, but the car drove to Lake Artemesia instead. I suppose a relatively sure thing has its attractions.

The usual suspects were present, although there’s nothing usual about the Long Tailed Ducks who should be well North of here by now.

Some birds were quite cooperative, and the excellent weather was a big help.

I would not have found the Merlin without help, so thank you, Nathan.

The gazebo at Lake Artemesia.

This Swamp Sparrow may have just arrived.

Two Long Tailed ducks have been attracting birders for several days.

This Caspian Tern was fishing successfully.

Many Wood Ducks were foraging near shore.

A small flock of Canada Geese was resting on the lake.

This Merlin was well hidden and hard to find.

I went back to Artemesia yesterday, as no local place is standing out for migrants. For some reason, Artemesia seems to get more accidentals than other places I visit.

I picked a good day. The LT Ducks have been there a few days, and I found several other good birds as well. Many birders were visiting as well.

A quick stop at Buddy Attick didn’t find much interesting.

This female Cardinal had her eye on me.

I found this Northern Shoveler at Buddy Attick.

Forster’s Terns aren’t often seen at Artemesia.

2 Pied Billed Grebes were cruising the lake.

First Yellow Rumped Warbler of the year.

Wood Ducks were very active today.

These birds are supposed to use freshwater lakes in the colder months, but this is the first time I’ve seen one I’ve seen outside the Chesapeake Bay.